Montana Cup Hockey Tournament: Tech Battles Eventual Champion

Photo: G Marshall (gmarshall_photos)

Montana Tech University (Tech) and four other college hockey programs in the American Collegiate Hockey Association battled it out in the inaugural Montana Cup held at Helena’s Steed Arena on February 14-15.

The single-elimination tournament, in addition to Tech, featured The University of Montana (UM), Montana State University (MSU), and the University of Providence (UP) from Great Falls, representing Montana’s collegiate hockey landscape.

Tech faced off against the high-powered and top-ranked MSU Bobcats to kick off the Cup. The Bobcats emerged victorious with an 18-0 win against Tech and advanced to the finals to play against UP. Despite the loss, Tech would hold MSU to just one powerplay goal. 

“I think we played well as a team, considering the small number of players we had. MSU is good at moving the puck, and it gets tiring, but I think the team and I played well given the injuries and limited roster we had,” said Tech Goalie Eddie Kazmierczak who would finish with 51 saves in the game.  

On the other side of the bracket, UM faced off against UP. The Argos defeated the Griz 3-2, advancing to the championship game.

In the Montana Cup Championship game, MSU triumphed over UP with a 5-2 win to capture the first-ever cup title.

“I think the Montana Cup is really cool, and I’m excited to see its future and hopefully watch it grow,” said Eddie Kazmierczak.